Linux Kernel v0.96c Source Code
(A historic repository of ancient Linux kernel source code)
About This Repo
This repo is a means of keeping and preserving historic source code, namely in this case the source code for version 0.96c of the Linux kernel.
Linux 0.96c is one of the last of the "beta" releases of the Linux kernel, approaching "stable" release (as Linus Torvalds put it). The previous version, 0.95, was the first version of the Linux kernel capable of running the X Window System, bringing a GUI option to the system for the first time.
Why Preserve This? It's obsolete!
Yeah, I know very well how obsolete v0.96c is. However, just because it's obsolete doesn't mean it deserves to be forgotten. Software preservation is extremely important, as it allows us to trace the lineage of our systems, keep old forgotten programs alive, and in the case of many a Linux hobbyist, enthusiast, kernel hacker, sysadmin, etc., would allow us to one day look back and see just how far Linux had come since 1991.
Or, as I put it once before in the README for my Linux 0.01 kernel source preservation repo:
Software preservation is an important step in building a history of all software. There will always be people who want to know where their software came from, what it must've looked like in the beginning, and how it evolved. This applies across the board to ALL software, and operating systems are no exception. There has been work to preserve ancient UNIX systems thanks to groups like The Unix Heritage Society, which allows us to go back and study the ancient roots of OSes like Linux, BSD, and macOS, so in that sense, we should strive to keep the movement going.
Anywho, enjoy browsing this source tree if you're curious to see the history of Linux! Happy hacking! :)